Brittany Higgins hits back in her final day of evidence to Bruce Lehrmann rape trial

Brittany Higgins has finished giving evidence in the trial against Bruce Lehrmann, with the former Liberal staffer delivering a direct message to her alleged rapist.

Brittany Higgins’ final day in court was emotionally charged and tearful but her voice was unwavering as she singled out her alleged rapist, Bruce Lehrmann, with a pointed finger and a direct message; “nothing was fine after what you did to me”.

Ms Higgins has also wholly rejected Lehrmann’s claims she invented her rape allegation against him, telling the jury she “knows” he physically violated her body.

Lehrmann, 27, has pleaded not guilty to sexual intercourse with Ms Higgins, without her consent and being reckless to her consent, in Parliament House in 23 March 2019.

Ms Higgins returned to the witness box on Friday to face questions from Lehrmann’s barrister, Steve Whybrow.

Mr Whybrow questioned Ms Higgins about the exact moment she divulged the alleged rape to her chief of staff, Fiona Brown.

“Because up until then I was holding it in, holding it in, holding it in, pretending like everything was fine and it wasn’t,” Ms Higgins told the court as her voice rose and she pointed a finger toward Lehrmann.

“Nothing was fine, nothing was fine after what you did to me - nothing.”

The court broke every half an hour to give Ms Higgins a chance to rest, the young staffer cried into her hands as she walked toward the exit - before turning and bowing to the judge.

Mr Whybrow also questioned Ms Higgins about her first interactions with Lehrmann, in the days after the alleged rape.

The pair worked together until Lehrmann was fired for breaching security, entering the Parliament late at night, his second infraction.

Brittany Higgins has returned to the witness stand. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Bruce Lehrmann has pleaded not guilty. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Mr Whybrow said Ms Higgins’ interactions with Lehrmann before he was fired were “cordial” and “normal”.

Ms Higgins disagreed.

“I think after a trauma you kind of go through a strange holding period of just an extended freeze,” she told the court.

“But yes, I was trying to maintain calm because he had a higher station in the office than me. I was trying to hold on. I don’t know, I was scared.”

Mr Whybrow put it to Ms Higgins that she was embarrassed after being found naked in Parliament House by a security guard after she and Lehrmann returned there late at night.

“I was found naked because I was raped. I don’t know what more to say,” Ms Higgins told the court.

Mr Whybrow suggested she had invented her claim she had been sexually assaulted to save her job.

“I’m not a monster,” Ms Higgins said, shaking her head.

“I would never do something like that.”

“I cared about my job but I would never do that.”

Mr Lehrmann with his solicitor Rachel Fisher on day nine of the trial. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Lehrmann’s barristers say that the last time he saw Ms Higgins they had entered the ministerial suite of their boss, Senator Linda Reynolds.

Lehrmann told police, in a recording played to the jury this week, that he had turned left to tend to documents while Ms Higgins went right, into the senator’s office alone.

Mr Whybrow, questioning Ms Higgins on Friday, suggested she never saw Lehrmann again that evening and he did not sexually assault her in the office.

“No, I obviously dont agree - he raped me,” Ms Higgins said.

“He didn’t go into the minister’s suite at all,” Mr Whybrow suggested.

“He was in there, he was physically violating me, he was in my body,” Ms Higgins said, finishing her answer with “I know”.

Ms Higgins left court on day nine of the trial. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The entirety of evidence heard in the court, this week, has been suppressed from publication until Ms Higgins completed her evidence.

Former Parliament House colleagues have given evidence about the time and words Ms Higgins first told them about the alleged rape.

One former staffer told the court Ms Higgins was concerned about it becoming a story in the media, her ex boyfriend made similar comments to the jury.

Ms Higgins, in her own evidence last week, said she felt she was “pressured” by her bosses in the Liberal Party not to go to the police and the imminent Federal election was part of the discussion.

On Friday she clarified that she understood her bosses were concerned more about a leak, than the police process.

“If I reported it and it became a media story prior to the election, that was the issue,” she said.

Defence barrister Steve Whybrow quizzed Ms Higgins about when she disclosed the alleged rape to her then chief of staff. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

ACT Director of Public Prosecutions, Shane Drumgold SC, asked Ms Higgins why she went to police and the media, in early 2021, at about the same time.

She previously told the court she had quit her job in Parliament and felt the two processes were in “lock-step”.

“Obviously one was about going through the justice system to see if I could have this day in court,” Ms Higgins said on Friday.

“The other was about the culture, the systemic culture in Parliament House that was so rife, is so rife and continues to be so rife.”

“There are a dozen stories like mine.”

Mr Whybrow focused, through the week, on the moments Ms Higgins told friends and police she was going to medical centres and doctors in the wake of the alleged assault.

Mr Lehrmann bought Ms Higgins a coffee in the days after the alleged rape. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The barrister has previously heard there are no medical records from the immediate aftermath and Ms Higgins, in her evidence last week, told the court she was just too depressed to follow through on her appointments.

“I was depressed, I couldn’t get out of bed and confronting it with a health professional was a really big f***ing deal for me,” Ms Higgins said on Friday.

“I wasn’t perfect.”

The trial will continue, next week, with Senator Linda Reynolds expected to take the stand in the coming days.

Mr Drumgold has flagged the trial is running ahead of schedule and evidence could finish as soon as the end of next week.

Originally published as Brittany Higgins hits back in her final day of evidence to Bruce Lehrmann rape trial